Sufism

“Sufism is a path towards the Truth where there are no provisions except Love. Its method is to look solely in one direction, and its objective is God … It involves an enlightened inner being, not intellectual proof; revelation and witnessing, not logic…”

~Dr. Javad Nurbakhsh

Who is a Sufi

The sufi is a lover of God, and like any other lover, he proves his love by constant remembrance of his Beloved. This constant attention to God has two effects: One outward and the other inward.

The inward effect is that the sufi’s remembrance distances him from the domain of ‘I and you’ and joins him with the realm of Unity, where the poet says:

I’ve thought of You so much

that I’ve become You head to toe;

Little by little ‘You’ arrived and ‘I’ departed.

Or

Like the moth I fixed my eyes on Him:

Then I realized, I was all consumed

The outward effect of this remembrance is that God’s attributes become gradually manifested in the sufi’s conduct, where the poet says:

God sat so long with my impressionable heart,

that it absorbed His ways and temperament

through and through

In the first stage, which is the beginning of the journey towards God, the attainment of Unity, the sufi is harmless towards everyone, as the poet says:

Do not harm others whatever you do,

for on our path, there is no sin but this.

In the second stage, upon arrival at the threshold of Unity, the sufi is not offended by others, where the poet says:

Let’s keep the faith, put up with blame, and be content,

for on our path to take offense is unbelief.

In the third stage which is entry into the domain of Unity, the sufi responds with loving-kindness towards those who harm him, for he sees everything in himself and himself in everything, where the poet states:

Be like a tree spreading shade –

Yielding fruit to whomever throws a stone

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2004 Interview with Dr. Javad Nurbakhsh and Dr. Alireza Nurbakhsh

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Basis of Creation

Without love, the world is tribulation – altogether,
a place of affliction and disappointment – altogether.

Whoever remains ignorant of love
is a stranger to us – altogether.

Love is the basis of creation
through which everything exists – altogether.

Without love, life is empty and meaningless,
a senseless farce – altogether.

A heart not burning from love’s sorrow
contains only lust and desire – altogether.

If you’re a person of heart, turn towards love:
an unburnt heart is a torment – altogether.

A lifetime Nurbakhsh’s heart spent with love,
away from other than the Beloved – altogether.

–Dr Javad Nurbakhsh